When our builder mentioned dining rooms were becoming less common, I still wanted to go for it. In an open floor plan, our family of 6 needed a separate space away! I wanted a dining room for ongoing projects, a quiet(er) place to eat lunch or take a phone call, birthday dinners and of course holiday dinners with family.
And now, 16 months after move in day, we have our navy dining room!
(Sources listed throughout, and grouped at the bottom)
The Before
Obviously, the light fixture is the showpiece in the room!
A Navy Dining Room But Still A Before
This is 6 weeks ago…
Now we have our navy dining room, but it’s far from finished! This navy blue grasscloth wallpaper gave it a beautiful start!
(Considering grasscloth wallpaper? Read about my experience with the wallpaper!)
Goals For The Room:
My overall goal was for everything to be pretty for your eyeballs, but practical for dem kids. Because it is a dark navy dining room, I also wanted to incorporate lots of white to let the light bounce around.
The After:
How Our Navy Dining Room Came Together
The Table
I started my plan around the dining room table. We looked for a table that could take a beating and not be too precious. This table was found at Pier 1. I have never shopped there before- to be honest I was worried it would look cheap with such a good price tag, but it’s truly a beautiful table. The wood doesn’t have that rough feel- it’s smooth and a great color. This is the Stonewashed Natural.
See the Table:
The Chairs
To elevate the room while still keeping it casual, we used the rattan arm chairs from Serena & Lily for our end chairs, with a tailored cushion in a high performance fabric (wipable! washable!). I love that the brass end caps on the bottom tie into the chandelier in this room.
After choosing such pretty end chairs, we wanted our kids’ chairs to contrast but have the same vibe. These wooden white Bentwood chairs are wood and lightweight so the kids can pull them out for themselves. Amazon, of ALL the places! You want to pick wood over metal to keep the authentic feel.
Grounding the Space
Rugs in eating areas… such a topic. We choose an outdoor Welfleet Rug and I’m hoping it holds up well to our every day messes. It feels durable! A few dinners throughout the month should be fine.
But to be honest, if it’s a holiday feast and my whole family is eating here including our little baby cousins, I’m rolling up this rug. And that’s ok. Because it will be admired 364 other days of the year– so I encourage you to find a rug you like in your dining room! No shame in rolling it up for a feast.
On Instagram I shared with you all this Serena and Lily outdoor party bar with ice bins we found on cragislist, sitting under their Bar Harbor Bone Inlay Mirror. You can read more about the bar discovery here. I love the woven texture on the side!
Choosing Artwork:
Update: Review of my oversized print of Paris from Minted artwork can be found here!
The artwork is the first thing you see in the room off the front door, and the colors are muted and lovely. It is SO big you guys, it replaces the need for anything else on that wall.
The Oyster print was found locally in Durham at an adorable store called Chet Miller, but you can also purchase it directly from Rifle Paper Company.
Other Design Elements
I was holding my breath to see if the Wesley Sideboard would arrive in time, and it came this week! It’s amazing how high end furniture looks and smells! The scale is just right, as it is centered under the double sconce and able to hold the (very large) aged brass lamp, the nautical flag I framed, and my massive tall vase of green vines.
Our Entry Right Off The Dining Room:
And lastly, y’all I am so impressed with Tonic Living. They overdelivered on this custom cushion for our entry bench. Tonic Living helped me pick out this high performance fabric specifically for kids with dirty summertime bare feet – it withstands all kinds of stains (even permanent marker they say??). It has a zipper because you can wash it. If you have a bench you want a cushion made for, they were easy to get a quote from online.
The lumbar pillow with tassels is from Serena and Lily, and the plaid pillow is also from Tonic Living.
Shop the entry’s lantern and blue rug
Get The Entry Look:
Takeaways
In conclusion, my biggest takeaway is don’t start without a plan. A design plan and a visual moodboard – not even a fancy one, have you seen mine?? – will be your biggest deciding factor in whether your end result is what you envisioned.
Shop The Dining Room:
Shop white bentwood chairs here!
See the before and afters of the grasscloth wallpaper here:
Read through all of my progress here:
Thanks for the encouragement and organization from the One Room Challenge, and it’s media partner Better Homes & Gardens.
